John Ryan
Environment Reporter
About
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and became its environment reporter in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region. He has also investigated toxic air pollution, landslides, failed cleanups, and money in politics for KUOW.
Over a quarter century as an environmental journalist, John has covered everything from Arctic drilling to Indonesian reef bombing. He has been a reporter at NPR stations in southeast and southwest Alaska (KTOO-Juneau and KUCB-Unalaska) and at the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
John’s stories have won multiple national awards for KUOW, including the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi awards for Public Service in Radio Journalism and for Investigative Reporting, national Edward R. Murrow and PMJA/PRNDI awards for coverage of breaking news, and Society of Environmental Journalists awards for in-depth reporting.
John welcomes tips, documents, and feedback. Reach him at jryan@kuow.org or for secure, encrypted communication, he's at heyjohnryan@protonmail.com or 1-401-405-1206 on the Signal messaging app.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, some Spanish, some Indonesian
Professional Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA union member and former shop steward; Society of Environmental Journalists member and mentor
Stories
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Environment
Rare treat: endangered orcas return to home waters in search of scarce salmon
After six weeks away from its usual summer splashing grounds, the southern resident killer whales’ J pod returned en masse to the west side of San Juan Island Tuesday morning.
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Environment
‘Fierce urgency’ on climate needed, county exec says
King County aims to cut climate pollution in half this decade and prioritize the needs of communities of color as it does so.
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Health
Bremerton hospital workers: St. Michael, protect us from Covid-19
Washington state’s labor and health departments have launched separate investigations of conditions at the Bremerton hospital now suffering a Covid-19 outbreak.
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Government
Don’t reconnect mailing machines, Postal Service tells plants. Tacoma does it anyway
An order from Postal Service headquarters didn't stop mail-processing plants in Tacoma and Wenatchee from hooking up their high-speed letter-sorting machines again.
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Government
40% of letter-handling machines dismantled in Seattle-Tacoma area
The US Postmaster General says no more postal equipment will be dismantled until after the November election. Yet 40% of the mail-sorting machines in the Seattle area have already been disconnected, which could put a dent in the post office's ability to handle mail-in ballots.
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Government
Mail machines removed from Washington state post offices, workers worry about November ballots
The U.S. Postal Service is removing 15 high-speed letter-sorting machines from facilities in Washington state, according to internal documents obtained by KUOW.
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Environment
Pandemic cabin fever + boat sales = harassed orcas
Off the west side of San Juan Island, Deborah Giles grabbed her boat’s bright yellow research flag and started waving it at a small boat chopping through the waves.
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Government
Seattle’s Waterfront Park closes permanently after inching out to sea
Another bit of Seattle infrastructure is tearing apart and has closed for good.
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Environment
Ping! Orcas threatened by sonar plan, Inslee and enviros tell Navy
Battleships and orcas both use sound to hunt, which makes Navy sonar a problem for the sleek black-and-white predators.
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Environment
Searching for climate and inequity hot spots, by car
Fifteen cars with blue snorkels jutting up from their passenger windows drove all around King County on Monday.